Moderator of 3 Sessions
Session Description:
Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease are progressive neurodegenerative disorders that significantly impact the lives of patients and their families. Today, these conditions are mainly managed through symptom control, because unfortunately, disease-modifying therapies to effectively address the underlying causes are lacking. At AD/PD™ 2023, we are excited to bring together a panel of leading experts in both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease for the symposium, Driving change: evolving opportunities in the management of AD and PD, which will explore the evolution of the treatment landscapes and future opportunities in both disease areas. Professor Henrik Zetterberg will chair the esteemed panel – Professor Wiesje van der Flier, Dr Emma Lane, Professor Michael Heneka, and Professor Gesine Paul-Visse – in discussing the current unmet needs from a patient perspective and looking at how these challenges are driving change in clinical research. They will also explore how our greater understanding of pathophysiology and biomarkers can be translated into improving patient-centred care in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Throughout the meeting, the Faculty will have opportunities to answer questions from the audience, as well as share key learnings from their respective treatment fields.
Presenter of 6 Presentations
Panel Discussion: Translating the evolving opportunities to improvements in patient care
Welcome and introduction
Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease: what are the opportunities?
Meeting close
THE USE OF BLOOD BIOMARKERS IN EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND CLINICAL TRIAL OUTCOMES
Abstract
Abstract Body
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, and the single commonest cause of dementia. Many other diseases can, however, cause dementia and differential diagnosis can be challenging especially in early disease stages. For most neurodegenerative dementias, accumulation of brain pathologies starts many years before clinical onset; the ability to detect these pathologies paves the way for targeted disease-modifying prevention trials. AD is associated with amyloid beta and tau pathologies which can be quantified using cerebrospinal fluid and imaging biomarkers and, more recently, using highly sensitive blood tests. While for the most part specific biomarkers of non-AD neurodegenerative dementias are lacking, non-specific biomarkers of neurodegeneration are available. This review summarizes recent advances in the neurodegenerative dementia blood biomarker research, and discusses the next steps required for the use of blood biomarkers in early diagnosis and as clinical trial outcomes.